GRAND RAPIDS, MI — A Lansing man and his mother were sentenced to prison and ordered to pay $315,000 in restitution for an unemployment benefits scheme that had money paying for a luxury sedan and a Las Vegas timeshare.

Kevin Romando Johnson, 39, was sentenced to four years behind bars and Sara Johnson, 69, to three years in federal custody for their roles in the scheme. The two were convicted of mail fraud following a six-day jury trial in U.S. District Court in Grand Rapids.

The Johnsons owned and operated Lansing Total Lawn Care, a commercial landscaping company. At the end of each mowing season between 2006 and 2010, the mother and son laid off laborers and coerced them into applying for unemployment benefits, the government said. The two then would force them to work for free through the winter, driving snowplow trucks and performing other labor.

If the workers refused to work, they were told the Johnsons would call the Michigan Unemployment Insurance Agency and report them as “refusing to work.”

Kevin Johnson applied for unemployment benefits himself and then used the money to make payments on his Chrysler 300 and fuel his landscaping trucks.

He purchased a time-share at the Las Vegas “Planet Hollywood” resort and routinely used the company payroll to make mortgage payments. He also took out cash for himself and his mother, Assistant U.S. Attorney Nils Kessler said in October.

Sara Johnson was accused of being an “enforcer,” threatening the workers. Losses were estimated at $315,000.

Kevin Johnson also was convicted of making a false statement to a federal agent.

Neither the mother or son ever admitted to wrongdoing, authorities said.

“In hard times, we all need to pull together,” U.S. Attorney Patrick Miles Jr. said in a statement. “Stealing from the unemployment insurance system is selfish, illegal, and clearly not worth the risk.”